Year 3 -Celebrating Chinese New Year

In Year 3 we explored Chinese New Year by painting one of the icons from the celebration; the Chinese dragon. The children were encouraged to use some of the techniques that they had been using over the last few weeks in their art lessons.  They were colour mixing and using specific brush strokes to create a suitable looking dragon.

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the main Chinese festival of the year. As the Chinese use the lunar calendar for their festivals the date of Chinese New Year changes from year to year. The date corresponds to the new moon (black moon) in either late January or February. The spring festival celebrates the start of new life and the season of ploughing and sowing.

Traditionally, celebrations last for fifteen days, ending on the date of the full moon, when it is at its brightest. The first week is celebrated with visits to friends and family following special traditions designed to bring good luck. The second week ends with the Lantern Festival on the evening of the 15th day of the lunar month.In China, the public holiday lasts for three days and this is the biggest and most extravagant celebration of the year.

The Chinese calendar is different from that used in the United Kingdom. It is made up of a cycle of twelve years, each of them being named after an animal. This is very like our signs of the zodiac or star signs. Some people believe that people born in a particular year, such as the Year of the Dog, will have some of the characteristics of that animal.

Which animal would you be according to the Chinese calendar?